The ongoing adventures of a father who is finally finding the answers by dedicating himself to his family.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Rising From the Dead, Sort Of

Boy, I sure felt like heck yesterday. This bug I've contracted really knocks you out, it's pretty ugly, but GI infections are never pretty. This one is particularly aggressive, and I've found myself at time concerned as I recall stories of people infected with E coli who die from GI trauma. It was that crazy. I still feel pretty crappy, but a lot better, and last night I ate my first solid food, some spaghetti that I'd made for the kids. It was so good, I was so hungry after not eating for at least 36 hours, but I thought in the back of my mind that I was going to regret it. Somehow, food just goes right through me.

It wasn't the case, and I managed to get some sustenance into me, so that helped make me feel much better. In fact, I did a few things that I think helped me out, though it could have simply been that I was on the road to recovery. What was difficult was that I felt weak and hungry, but couldn't eat. Food had no appeal, so all I did was drink.

This situation was compounded by the fact that I had to keep the house afloat, make meals, homeschool and do my best to keep my germs away from the kids, which entailed washing my hands about a thousand times a day and bathing in Purell. Not to be a sissy about it, but my hands have taken a beating, and they are cracked and bleeding.

I managed to survive by stealth parenting-getting the things that need to get done and then lying down and napping in between. It's the only way I can survive. So I'll lie down and wait for the kids to wake up, get them juices and breakfast, then lie down while they lounge by the fire and relax. Then they're pretty much on autopilot for most of the morning, playing or reading and just hanging out. The only pressing issue that needs to be attended to are the dishes, which can sit and wait until lunchtime, if need be. At some point we need to brush teeth, and that's a good segue point into doing homeschooling, which can be a bit of struggle because work is always greeted with disdain.

Once we're done with that, I can rest some more, then it's lunch, more dishes, and then preparing for dinner. It never ends, and I'd like to point out that this is all accomplished with NO TV, the bane of our civilization.

By the time mom gets home, I'm whipped and ready to crawl into bed and die. That's how it's been over the past couple of days, and to aggravate the situation, I can't eat so I have no energy. Today I feel much better, and I attribute this to eating probiotics. I had some probiotic yogurt and I took a tablet, and my GI is in much better shape. Again, it could be that I was just on the road to recovery, but you gotta believe in something.

Today there's supposed to be a big storm, and we might be housebound, but we've been in the house for several days and I'd like to try to venture out with Gary's truck. The main problems, and they are major problems, are that the truck is not snow worthy, and the inspection certificate is expired, so we are taking chances. We need to get out before the storm hits, and hope we don't get pulled over. It makes for a tense drive, to say the least. On top of that, I'd like to make it to Sterns. Am I crazy, or what? I feel bad for the kids, though, they've been so well behaved these past few days, true gems, to say the least, but you didn't have to tell me that.